Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: province of Imperia

The Chiesa della Purificazione di Maria Vergine (Church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary) is the parish church of Apricale. The church - built in the 13th century - is located in the heart of the centre of the perched medieval village. The church was restored several times and today it appears in baroque style with a neo-Romanesque façade. The interior is composed of three naves divided in two rows of four pillars each. Inside the vaults, in 1904, painter Leonida Martini frescoed floral patterns and images of saints. The bell tower of the church is remarkable with a bicycle facing upwards. This contemporary artwork of Sergio Bianco symbolizes the power of non-gravity. I must admit that I had not seen the artwork during my visit. But a photo of Nora Caracci pointed me to this unusual tower.

The first written documents about Apricale date back to 1267. The history of Apricale, however, officially begins about two centuries before with the foundation of the castle, wanted by the accounts of Ventimiglia. The place, chosen as a defensive outpost, is called Apricus; around the castle the village develops. In 1270 Apricale entered the fiefdom of the Doria of Dolceacqua, passing definitively into the sphere of influence of the Republic of Genoa. In the 18th century, Genoa’s difficulties are reflected in Apricale: wars and economic crisis, but also frosts, droughts and famines make it the darkest century in the history of the village, until the French occupation in 1794. In 1815, according to the dictates of the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the kingdom of Sardinia. Apricale comes from “apricus”, which in Latin means “exposed to the sun”, and in fact, the village is all built on the southern side of the hill. Coming from the Nervia Valley the village seems to be a waterfall of houses surrounded by forested hills. The little mountain village itself is a labyrinth of houses and alleyways.

Archaeological findings testify that the area where Rocchetta stands today has been continuously inhabited since Roman times. During medieval times it was a place through which pilgrims passed on their way from Lower Piedmont through the Nervia Valley: many of the religious buildings in the area served as hospices. Politically it belonged to an important strategic area called the “County of Nice”. The history Rochetta Nervina is one of a borderland, constantly harassed by fighting and raids between its inhabitants and its neighbours, particularly the Dorias of Dolceacqua . Today Rocchetta Nervina - with less than 300 inhabitants - still has its medieval appearance, located on the banks of the river Barbaira. The little village is well known for its pools of water (laghetti di Rochetta) in that river (PiP3).

Chiesa di Cristo Salvatore (Church of Christ the Saviour) is an Russian orthodox church, dating back to the year 1915. It was built for the Russian community that followed Tsarina Maria Aleksandrovna (wife of Tsar Alexander II) to San Remo in 1906; the foundation stone was laid in 1912. In that period about one thousand Russians lived in the town. The Chiesa di Cristo Salvatore - with its onion domes and heavenly pale-blue interior - was designed by Alexei Shchusev, later finished by local engineer Pietro Agosti. Icons and murals of Christian saints line the interior. The appearance of the temple imitates the style of typical 17th-century Moscow churches. It has five domes, three altars and a belfry. The church is still used today by the Orthodox community of San Remo and is one of the landmarks of San Remo.